200!!! Wow!

Hey, this is my 200th blog post! I've been at it about a year and a half, I guess, maybe longer, but I never dreamed people would be so interested in my every-day-doings. Anyway, thanks for reading :) I just had to post these pictures of my little ones. Casey took Natalie to a sidewalk chalk party at the library last weekend. She had a blast and he checked her out some books afterward, one of them called, You Can Do Anything, Daddy!

Budding Artist

I found Natalie in her room yesterday creating this masterpiece. First she arranged her crayons inside one quilt square, then she framed in with buttons and framed that with her jump rope. Love it.


I have managed to get some sewing in. I made this clutch bag as seen in Bend the Rules Sewing. I made it a little bigger than the book suggested and it's perfect for holding my wallet, chap stick, a pen and a few other things. Now instead of transferring all my little things from bag to bag (diaper bag, purse, library bag, etc...) I can just move this little clutch. Also, I thought I'd show you all what I've been sewing on since my machine's been in the shop. It only goes backwards and forwards, but it's a solid hunk of metal and sews like a champ. Awesome.

The New Guy

Here are a few more pics of our little guy. I love this one of Natalie looking at him and I love Layla's cheesy grin in the second pic. That's Casey in the third one and my mom in the last. Kelby is a REALLY good boy so far and so believe it or not, I have actually managed to get some sewing in. I'll share tomorrow. In the mean time, check out this super-cool new-to-me blog. Lots of links and inspiration and stuff.

Introducing...

Kelby John Schreiner
Born August 14, 2008
7 lbs., 12 oz., 21" long

The birth was fast and amazing and the recovery is going so well. The girls' first reaction to him was just priceless. Layla couldn't stop smiling and poking his face and tried to pick him up out of his car seat and Natalie sang him Jesus Loves Me and rocked him in his seat, it was so precious!

We're adjusting very well here so far. I guess by the third baby, I know what I'm doing ;) I'll post more pics as I have them!

Kelby's Quilt

This is the baby quilt my mom made for our coming little guy (yes, I'm still pregnant!) You may remember me posting a picture of the fabrics awhile ago. We found this pattern for free on The Purl Bee and used the same Alexander Henry Zoo print and chose blue and green instead of orange. I LOVE IT! It's such a unique baby quilt and I am just thrilled, she did a wonderful job.

I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow. I did LOTS of shopping and walking today, so you would think that would kick start things, but ya know. We'll see what the doctor says tomorrow, hopefully things are at least happening!

I had to take my sewing machine to the repairman today :( It got a nasty jam while I was quilting a couple days ago and now the tension and/or timing is just night right. As much as it bums me out, I think I'll be so glad that I got it serviced, since it will probably feel like a brand new machine when I get it back! In the mean time, I'm sewing on an old Brother from the 60's that's been in my family since then and only goes backwards and forwards. It's an amazing, heavy, solid chunk of metal that we've never had any problems with, so it's actually fun to pull it out every once in awhile :)

Good ol' Olden Days

I made this ADORABLE puppy this week. I used a Simplicity pattern from 1966 that I got at the church garage sale (3 patterns for a quarter!) Anyway, I just wanted to comment on how much better these old patterns are than the ones they're cranking out today. First of all, the pattern paper is so much more durable. AND, they put each animal's pieces on it's own smaller sheet! No wading through five huuuuge sheets to find the seven small pieces you need. Also, notice the original price of this pattern--50 cents. I guess that may have seemed like a lot in the 60's, but I still think patterns now are horribly over-priced. My sewing funds are extremely limited and there's no way I can pay 10 or 12 bucks for a pattern that I may use only a couple of times. Most of the time, I spend less than that for the fabric itself! I know that commercial patterns have gone down a lot in recent years and stores constantly have them on sale for super cheap, but I wish I could afford to get my hands on some of the way-cool ones I see all over blogland! Is it costly to produce patterns? Is that why?

7 Years of Wedded Bliss!

Today is Casey and my 7th wedding anniversary! 7 Years feels substantial to me. I can say honestly that each year has been better and happier than the one before it and I am truly thankful to the Lord for the match He made in the two of us. We got married young (19 & 20) and have had our kids young and neither us have ever regretted it. In fact, we often comment that we are glad to have skipped over the dating scene that many 20-somethings seem to enjoy. Happy Anniversary, Baby! It's been a wonderful 7 years and here's to 77 more! :)

Getting Better

Here is my second embroidery project. It's a tag for my Quirky Boxes quilt and I think it looks quite a bit improved from my first one. I learned a French knot, a chain stitch and a split stitch. I'm coming along!

I also finished my quilt top yesterday, but it's absolutely huge so Casey has to help me and hold it over the stair banister so I can get a picture of the whole thing. Sadly, it now has to go on hold like my color wheel quilt because i have no funds for batting. *sigh* I do have a plan for piecing the backing together though. It's amazing how resourceful we always-broke sewers can be, huh? And, I kept a couple of the leftover little hourglass pieces because I want to embroider the tag right onto one of those. I can't wait to finish! In the meantime, embroidery is a seriously cheap hobby, I'm talkin' like spare change cheap, so I'll be playing some more with that this weekend.